Ancient Village of Baibi

Ancient Village of Baibi

Baibi Village is located in the western part of Wugen Town, Wenling City, Zhejiang Province. The Jiāqìng Tàipíng County Annals record: “Baibi Mountain has steep cliffs and rugged rocks, and the Yellow Crane rises from its ridges.” The village is remote and serene.

Every small stone house in Baibi Village catches the eye and holds one’s attention. The walls are built by casually stacking natural stones, with soil or mortar filling the gaps between them, making them thick, solid, and sturdy. The stones vary in size and shape—they are rough, unpolished, wild, and seemingly chaotic, yet possess an unrestrained beauty. Using locally available stones and simple, practical construction techniques, the houses are built to grow naturally within the village like trees. There could be no better way for humans and nature to coexist.

Respecting nature, staying close to it, and going with the flow are all exquisite aspects of traditional Chinese culture. By using locally sourced stones and simple, practical techniques to build stone houses that grow naturally in the village like trees, the approach is both economical and harmonious—there could be no better way for humans and nature to coexist. More affluent families would add some decorations to the lintels above doors and windows. The simpler ones feature just a few curved moldings, while the more elaborate ones include door and window surrounds adorned with patterns for a touch of embellishment, making the facades of the houses more lively and rich in detail.

Also delightful are the rustic courtyards full of local character. Often, a low stone wall is built at the front of the yard—casual and rugged—with little grass sprouting through the cracks and vines creeping along, almost entirely enveloping the wall like a green screen. Sometimes, a bold and strutting rooster suddenly hops onto the wall, but when someone approaches, it panics and flaps its wings to flee, which is amusing to witness. The courtyards are planted with various kinds of greenery: orange trees with lush foliage, a loofah vine with bright yellow blossoms in full bloom. In front of and behind the houses are plots of vegetable gardens. Life for the mountain villagers is fresh, lush, peaceful, and abundant. Lush woods, neat bamboo, well-aligned houses, and the sounds of chickens and dogs create a scene straight out of a pastoral poem or painting.

Standing tall among the low stone houses are the watchtowers. During the Republican era, banditry was rampant in Wenling. When times were good, the bandits set up strongholds inland; when defeated, they hid out on the islands, bringing great suffering to local residents. Baibi Village, situated between mountains and sea, suffered frequent bandit attacks in the past and thus had many watchtowers built for defense. To this day, three watchtowers remain in the village. One of them is located at the village entrance, three stories high, with a base that is 5.8 meters long and 5 meters wide. The lower part is slightly wider, tapering slightly toward the top, giving it a solid and hefty appearance. The bottom two stories are built with rubble stones, while the third story is made of bricks. The ground floor has a small door facing inward toward the village. The second and third floors have arched or square windows with gun loopholes inside. It has a double-sloped roof covered with small blue tiles. Building a watchtower was costly, beyond the means of ordinary families, so they pooled resources to construct it collectively. This particular watchtower was funded and built by the villagers.

The most unique is the watchtower at the highest point of the village. Nestled deep within dense shade, it stands stark white, striking and elegant. Its walls feature square and arched windows, decorated with exquisitely crafted window surrounds and long, narrow gun loopholes. It also has a double-sloped roof covered with small blue tiles. What sets it apart is the wall that juts out from the middle of the northern side, with a wavy, undulating parapet. In the middle of the wall, there is an imitation European-style arched gate. From any angle or direction, it presents a different charming view. The past and present of this rural life are captured bit by bit in these buildings, silently telling their stories. With the storms of history long gone, the stone-built mountain village continues its quiet, unassuming daily life—simple and composed.